Gilder's Chance
by GilderRules13
Summary: When the Black Gigas comes knocking, who ya gonna call? Chapter 8 now posted! Read and review please! Update: Complete!
1. Chapter 1: Light, Darkness, and Bikinis

Disclaimer: I do not own Skies of Arcadia Legends, any of its characters, etc. However, one upcoming character is mine. Though his name must currently remain hidden, you will know who I'm talking about when I get there. Any similarities between my character and anyone else, living, dead or fictional, are purely coincidental.

Gilder's Chance

Chapter 1: Light, Darkness, and Bikinis

Vyse, Aika, and Fina were relaxing at Crescent Island by the pond. Fish swam by as Fina crumbled up some bread and tossed it to them. Aika and Vyse were sitting and admiring Izmael's most recent carving, a spectacular image of Vyse looking heroic. The three friends had not a care in the world now that the world had been saved.

Ramirez was dead, Soltis had returned to Deeper Sky. Enrique and Moegi had returned to Valua to supervise the rebuilding. Lawrence had disappeared, joining Domingo in a search for treasure. All of the crew members of the Delphinus had gone their separate ways and gone all over the world. Now the only ones left were Vyse, Aika, Fina, and they had joined Dyne and his crew as Raiders. For the moment, though, the three were taking some time off to enjoy the peace and quiet of Crescent Island.

After Vyse rejoined his father, the Dyne family developed a way of using Crescent Island as a secret secondary base. If Pirate's Island ever got attacked, special teleport pads borrowed from the design of the pads in Soltis would teleport people to Crescent Island. The pads had been installed recently, and everyone enjoyed coming to Crescent Island for a day off.

"Vyse, would you like to take a dip?"

"Sure, Aika. Come on Fina, come with us!"

"Okay!"

The three went to their old rooms in the Yafutoman style quarters and got changed into their swimsuits. Vyse walked out in a pair of blue, knee-length trunks, climbed up to the flag pole, and dived into the pond. He looked up and found to his astonishment that he could see into Aika's room. Just as he looked, Aika turned around, saw him staring, and quickly slammed the shutters, blushing bright crimson.

Fina left her room next in a suit of alien design. Shw wore a white bikini, the top white with the triangle cut out she adopted from her old outfit. The bottom was blue with white stripes. She was about to enter to go out to the pond when Aika's door slid open. Aika was wearing a bright yellow bikini that would have made Vigoro go wild had he been there.

"Fina! You look so cute! Where did you get that suit?"

"Oh, I made it last week. Do you really like it?"

"Yeah! Fina, I got an idea . . ."

She whispered in the Silvite's ear, and Fina giggled.

"Okay, Aika!"

Fina walked out to the pond and Vyse's jaw dropped. He had never realized just how beautiful this girl was.

"Fina, is that really you?"

"Of course, Vyse! Do you like my new bikini?"

"Like, I love-"

At that moment, there was a splash behind him. There was a yank on his shorts, and suddenly Aika was standing next to Fina, holding up his new trunks.

"Hey Vyse! Are you missing something?"

Vyse blushed and quickly covered himself with his hands.

"Aika! Give me back my trunks!"

The girls laughed uproariously.

"Aika, that idea to use Quika to get behind him was genius!" giggled Fina. "Do you think we should give them back yet?"

"No, I think he needs to cool down . . . hahahah!"

Suddenly, Luke the Raider warped into Crescent Isle.

"Vyse, Aika, Fina! The captain wants you all immediately! Let's go!"

Aika tossed Vyse his trunks and they ran off to Luke.

"Vyse, we've just received word. Baltor has amassed a giant crew of Black Pirates! They're heading right towards Pirate Isle! We have to intercept them!"


	2. Chapter 2: Black's Awakening

Chapter 2: Black's Awakening

Vigoro paced up and down The deck of his ship. After The fall of Soltis, The former admiral began to make a name for himself among The black pirates. After rising to The title of Vigoro The Promiscuous during a run-in at a bar in Nasr, he quickly collected a hefty bounty on his head. The current bounty amassed 75,000 gold, and was rising every day. However, nobody was able to catch him in his new ship, The Blackbeard III.

"Vice-captain!" roared Vigoro.

"Yes, sir?" whimpered his vice-captain, Baltor.

"How soon until we reach Pirate's Isle?"

"Thirty minutes, sir."

"Good. Tell The crew to prepare for battle. Those Blue Rogues may pop out of anywhere to ambush us, so I want everyone ready."

"Yes sir." Baltor managed a semi-enthusiastic salute then turned to relay the orders. Ever since Vigoro had bested him in a fight five months ago, Baltor had lost all prestige among the Black Pirates. This likely had something to do with the result of the battle: Baltor mewling like a baby while Vigoro held him over his knee and spanked him soundly. Baltor's spirit had been broken that day, and now lived for no other purpose than to serve Captain Vigoro.

Vigoro took The short interlude before the battle to think and polish his cannon. Would Vyse be at the forefront as usual, or would this be a pointless battle against Dyne? Would he win as he hoped, or would he be forced to chalk up a fifth loss? Would Red be wearing those new Golden Leggings he had made for her before their last battle, or would she still be hanging onto that loser Vyse? These thoughts bounced around Vigoro's large head, and he was deep in thought until The lookout called out

"Ship ahoy! It's The Albatross II!"

"Finally! Okay men, let's show 'em what we're made of!"

"Aye aye!" shouted The crew, armed to the teeth with every imaginable weapon, including one confused sailor armed with a large Tuna and a gutting knife.

The Albatross drew abreast The Blackbeard and before The Black Pirates had a chance to board The Blue Rogue vessel, Vyse, Aika, Fina, Luke, and Dyne had already boarded and engaged The battle. The Black Pirates fought fiercely, inflicting many minor wounds upon The heroes, but not damaging them in any considerable way. Vigoro bounded above his men and landed neatly in front of Vyse and company. The battle drew to a halt as everyone considered this new turn of events. Baltor had never fought in The vanguard before, and The Blue Rogues had expected Baltor, not Vigoro. The former admiral took this momentary confusion to make a statement.

"Vyse we meet again! And Red, you look as hot as ever!"

"Doesn't this guy ever give up!" exclaimed Aika as her face blushed to a shade of pink usually associated with Barbie dolls. Not that anybody there knew what a Barbie doll was. That is besides the point, however.

"I will never give up, not while there are pretty girls roaming the skies, or my name isn't Vigoro The Promiscuous!"

"Vigoro The Promiscuous, huh? It fits you . . ." said Vyse with a chuckle.

"Okay, here's The deal. You three are coming with me to fight on deck. I'll leave my men to deal with your other crew members. Now let's go!"

"Fine, come on Fina, Aika. Let's teach this guy a lesson! Again . . ."

Vyse and company fought Vigoro. It was a long battle, and during the entire fight, Dyne and his crew struggled to defend themselves from Vigoro's Black Pirates. Eventually, Dyne's men were forced to fall back as

they were overwhelmed by the superior forces. Just as all hope seemed lost, a voice called out from behind Dyne.

"Hey, looks you guys need a hand! Okay men, let's show these pirates what we're made of! Dance for me!"

A rain bullets erupted out of twin guns, striking down men left and right, leaving only a few standing. Three men quickly dispatched the survivors, and turned to face their captain. Gilder stood by Dyne, shaking his hand in greeting.

"Captain Dyne, it's great to see you again! Where are Vyse and those two pretty girls?"

"They're over there fighting Captain Vigoro. I think they could use your help, Gilder. You have experience fighting against this guy."

"Yeah, I can't let them have all the fun. Okay, men, go back to the Claudia. I'll wrap things up with Vigoro."

"Aye aye!"

Vigoro seemed to have the advantage in the battle. His cannon was blasting left and right, and the combined healing magic of Fina and Aika was barely keeping them alive. Vyse continued to try to use his own attacks, but his Pirate's Wrath seemed to do nothing to the mighty pirate. It was at that moment that they heard a familiar voice.

"You mess with me, you mess with Claudia!"

With a mighty roar, The Claudia opened fire on Vigoro and The Blackbeard, knocking the man unconscious and damaging the ship's superstructure. The ship was aflame and heading on a direct course for deep sky.

"C'mon, kids! I've saved your butts again, so let's get out of here!"

"It's great to see you too, Gilder! Let's go, everybody!"

Vyse, Aika, Fina, and Gilder ran to the edge of the ship, grabbed hold of a line to the Albatross, and climbed aboard. The Blue Rogues, rejoicing in their victory, turned around and sailed back to Pirate's Isle, flush with success.

Baltor, struggling with his controls, pulled The Blackbeard out of it's dive and managed to land by one of the many small islands under the silver moon. Then struggling to awaken the other members of the crew, Baltor slowly worked on getting the ship back to order. He approached Vigoro, not knowing what to expect. What he saw, though, defied all expectations. Vigoro's carefully sculpted body had been blown apart. His arms and legs were nowhere in sight, and blood escaped from his torso with every breath. Baltor nearly gagged, then stumbled towards his dominator to try to help him.

"B-b-balt-tor? I-is that-t you?"

"Yes sir, I am here. What can I do?"

"There is nothing, just tell Red about what happened."

"Yes, I wi- Sweet Moons Above, what The f is that?"

Out of the sky dropped a black sphere, no larger than a golf ball. It flew down out of the sky, and came to rest above Vigoro's head. Vigoro's eyes opened wide, and he let loose a piercing scream of pain, audible throughout Ixa-Taka, Glacia, and Pirate's Isle. Baltor ran away, then turned and hid behind the mast, looking fearfully at his master's transformation.

Vigoro's dismembered body rose into the air, and the black sphere seemed to grow large and envelop the former admiral. And yet, the ball seemed to also remain the size of a golf ball, giving the impression that Vigoro's body was shrinking. When the body was entirely absorbed by the sphere of black, there was a blinding flash of dark light. Everyone on board was aware of nothing but a dark flash that ruined their vision for several seconds. To Baltor, however, it was the beginning of a nightmare.

When his vision cleared, he looked at where Vigoro's body had formerly rested. In it's place was a massive creature, standing about nine feet from base to tip. It had huge feet, shaped like boots that connected to a massive, muscular torso. His right arm extended to a massive hand that looked like it could crush a small boat by itself. The other arm ended in a massive blade, sharp as a razor and powerful enough to cut down a tree in one slice. The head was twice the size of a normal human head, and was shaped like Vigoro's, complete with horrible hairstyle. What made this figure most impressive, however, was not just its size. It was the color of the blackest black hole. There was no light emanating from this creature, it was almost as if light itself were destroyed upon reaching it. With a loud roar, the creature announced it's birth.

"Raaaar! I am alive! Now all Arcadia shall cower in fear before me!"

Baltor crept forward, astounded to hear the creature speak with Vigoro's accent with it's low booming voice. Mustering all of his meager amounts of courage, he approached the monster.

"Wh-wh-what are you? Is that you, Captain Vigoro?"

"I am that mortal you call Vigoro no longer! I am Darknoth, The Black gigas! After centuries of wandering the skies, I have finally been released! And now, I need energy! You will do nicely!"

"Wait, no, hold on! I can be usefu-aaaaah!"

Darknoth, ignored the foolish human's cries reached out his hand, grasped the mortal, and proceeded consume the human, clothes, flesh, and all. Grinning as he licked the last drop of blood from his lips, Darknoth began to decide which land to destroy first: Valua, Nasr, Ixa-taka, Yafutoma, Glacia, or Soltis.


	3. Chapter 3: A New Quest Begins

Chapter 3: A New Quest Begins

Vyse, Aika, Fina, and Gilder returned to Pirate's Isle aboard the Albatross. When they arrived, a huge victory feast had been prepared and soon after landing the festivities began. A huge crowd surrounded Vyse and his two friends as they recounted their battle against Vigoro. The crowd crowed with laughter at The former admiral's title, gasped as the details of the battle, and cheered at Gilder's skillful rescue. No one noticed when Gilder disappeared into The vegetable patch with Tim's wife, and the laughter was so loud that all other sounds were completely drowned out.

Everyone was having such a great time that it was not until well after midnight that everyone finally fell asleep. Various crew members lay against walls in loqua induced slumber. Vyse, Aika, and Fina all slept crowded into a single hammock inside the windmill. Gilder and his men slumped over rails and fences. Citizens managed to find their own beds inside their houses. Everything was peaceful, only the gentle sounds of snoring broke the silence.

Perhaps it was because of this silence that no one expected anything. Without warning, a giant shape blotted out the moon and stars. With an unspoken fear, every man, woman, and child instantly awoke, staring at the giant figure above. Then there was a deep booming roar and a blast of dark light exploded out of the figure. Every structure began to fall apart and collapse. Children cried, women screamed, men panicked as the dark shape eclipsed it's fear upon them.

"Aika! Fina! Get out of here!" shouted Vyse as he shoved the two girls away from him and out of the windmill. Before Vyse was able to get himself out, the windmill collapsed entirely, smashing into Vyse's legs.

"Come on, Fina, let's get Vyse out!"

The two girls struggled with the windmill, their every thought focused on freeing their friend. Gilder ran by and saw their plight. Quickly, he added his own strength and grabbed Vyse. Slinging the young man over his shoulders, the three heroes ran to the Claudia. Once aboard, they had a chance to look back at Pirate Isle. Slowly, the entire island was disintegrated by the dark blast. When the darkness cleared, there was nothing left. No island, no figure. Just the moon and the stars.

"Dyne is signaling for us to convene at Crescent Island. Helmsman, destination Crescent Island!"

"Aye-aye!"

The trip to Crescent Island was uneventful, and when they arrived at the island they were delighted to find everyone alive and present. Fina and Aika cast healing spells for whoever needed them and were able to pull back from the brink many people. However, their spells were unable to cure Vyse's legs, which had both been broken by the windmill.

Once Dyne was sure everyone would survive, he called a council. Fina, Aika, and Gilder joined him by Vyse, and the council began.

"Okay. I speak for everyone here when I ask what in the name of Hell was that!"

"I don't know Gilder. That thing is something I've never heard or seen before. Son, did you ever run across anything during your travels that resembles that ... that thing?"

"No. Nothing. Although . . . it was very similar to the creature in our final battle against Ramirez. Don't you remember?"

"Yeah. Ramirez merged with that Zelos-thing." Aika recollected. "He used that attack and forced Vyse to use Pirate's Wrath on me. That hurt!"

"I'm sorry, but Fina healed you right after, so it could've been worse."

"Fina, do you have any idea what could have done this? I thought Ramirez was dead!"

"Yes, we killed Ramirez. I don't understand . . . However, long ago the Silvites recorded some of our history in the part of Soltis that is now referred to as Shrine Island. If we can go there, we may be able to learn something about that creature."

"Okay, everyone, here's the plan. I'll stay here with Vyse and we'll work on getting Crescent Island up and running as our new permanent base. Aika and Fina, I want you to take Luke and go to Shrine Island. Gilder, are you up for an adventure?"

"Of course! This is going to be the most fun a guy could ask for! I'll definitely take these two lovely ladies!"

"All right, I want everyone ready by dawn. Now get some rest."

The council drifted apart as the heroes got ready for the following day.

"Gilder! Could you come here?"

"Sure Vyse, what's up?"

"Gilder, I need you to promise me something. And I don't mean one of those fingers-crossed promises you've made to every tavern girl from Ixa-taka to Yafutoma."

"Ha ha ha! Okay Vyse, whatever you want, I'll do it."

"Gilder, promise me you'll take care of Fina and Aika. I love them both more than anything in this world, and if they both don't make it back safe and sound, I'll never be able to forgive myself. Or you. Please keep them safe."

"All right. Those two highly attractive ladies will both stay unharmed. You can trust me!"

"Thanks. I knew you'd understand."

Dawn broke the following day with Dyne approaching the Claudia. Aika and Fina were packing supplies while Max and Georg from Gilder's crew loaded boxes of food, moonstones, and various healing crystals. Gilder "supervised" from within his quarters while Luke cleaned out the cannon below decks. Willie the parrot gave a squawk and Gilder woke up with a start.

"Huh? What? Im awake, I'm awake. That was a great dream you ruined Willie! I was back at Nasr with Milena and what's-her-name, Latima. We'd just had a pillow fight and we were just getting down too--"

"Dyne! Dyne!"

"Willie, you stupid bird, it's not time for din-din, it's the crack of dawn! What you need is some breakfast! Oh wait, there's Captain Dyne! I'll be right back."

Gilder ran up to Dyne to exchange greetings.

"Good morning Captain! We're almost ready. Are you sure you'll be all right here?"

"Yes. We'll be fine. Just make it back in one piece! Good luck"

"Thanks. You too."

Gilder cried out to his crew and sails were unfurled. With a speed only achievable by the Claudia, the ship left Crescent Island, ready to challenge the wide blue yonder, and to uncover the secret of the mysterious black figure.


	4. Chapter 4: N or Z?

Chapter 4: N or Z?

A fishing boat sailed through Mid-Ocean, the fisherman on the lookout for a special fish known as Rainbow Grule. Sailor's Island was offering 60 gold a piece, so this sailor was looking forward to a rich pay off later that evening. He had already caught several, and he wanted to get two or three more before calling it a day. The weather was calm and peaceful, and a school of Sky Sardis fluttered by. Everything was tranquil.

Without any warning, the man was jolted out of reverie with an awful sensation of fear. He stared due West at Shrine Island, and saw a sight that would haunt him for the rest of his years. Above the island was a dark shape, pointing a sharp looking object directly down towards the island. Out of the tip radiated a blinding dark light, raining down upon the ancient island. The very light of the sun was absorbed by the energy.

Under the onslaught of power unleashed upon it, The old structure could not remain standing for long. The entire island began to disintegrate, the huge blocks of stone shrinking to boulders, then pebbles, then dust, then nothing. Where once the final remnant of the Silvite Civilization had stood, nothing remained. The fisherman stared, letting scores of rainbow grule fly by.

From the epicenter of the explosion screamed a red ship with black sails. It blasted past the fishing boat, barely grazing the side. The fisherman took no notice, and just stared where the island had stood just two minutes earlier.

The Claudia raced back to Crescent Isle, having barely escaped the destruction behind them. After an uneventful trip interrupted by several Loopers the heroes arrived at the base. As soon as they landed, Gilder called for Dyne to meet them in Vyse's chamber.

"Okay, Gilder, what's the rush?" asked Dyne as he entered at took a seat.

"That Black Thing 'n blew up Shrine Island! We Barely Made IT! That's what!"

"What! Fina! Tell me exactly what happened, and what you found."

"Okay. We landed at Shrine Island. As we investigated, we were attacked by several Hunters. Gilder was anxious to try out his new set of pistols, so we let him use Gunslinger to take out the beasts. His wide-spread and erratic gunfire managed to destroy a nearby wall, opening a room we had never seen before."

"The walls were covered in Silvite script. While the others admired the ancient pictograms, I read the text. I had just finished reading when a shadow enveloped the island and a cold fear entered our hearts. Knowing what would come next, we dashed to the Claudia. Just as we reached it, the island began to disintegrate. We flew away as fast we possibly could, and barely escaped the explosion. We were lucky to survive."

"I'm glad you're okay. Okay, now what did you learn from the text?"

Fina stood up, fixed her dress, and sat down, prepared to continue her story.

"It is common knowledge that in the distant past, the five civilizations other than the Silvites created the five gigas to use in war against each other. These gigas contained unimaginable power, and could have destroyed the world had they been released unchecked. The Silvites saw this and created their own gigas, Zelos. They used Zelos' power to unleash the Rains of Destruction to destroy the civilizations and to seal away the gigas. What we did not know was that Zelos was not the first gigas created by the Silvites."

"What! Are you sure?"

"That is what the text reads. Before the creation of Zelos, a Silvite went crazy. Using his great power, he sacrificed his life and with a prayer to the Dark Moon, transformed himself into the Black Gigas, Darknoth. This gigas was different from all of the others. It was ten times as powerful as the others, used the powers of the Dark Moon, and retained all the intelligence that belonged to the Silvite creator. This gigas had a will of it's own, and that will was the destruction of the world. When the Silvites saw this, they created Zelos to use the Rains of Destruction to defeat Darknoth. It succeeded, at high cost to the other civilizations. The name of the Silvite was . . . Ramiren."

"That's awfully close to Ramirez, Fina! Are you sure he's dead?"

"Yes. However, I have developed a theory based on other writings which I cannot repeat to you. They were . . . too horrible. Another time, maybe. However, this is what I believe happened. After Zelos - I mean Ramirez was defeated, Vyse threw his Silver Moon Crystal overboard. I believe that the crystal did not disappear into Deeper Sky as we had thought. Instead, the energy of the Dark Moon caught the crystal and perverted it. Once it found another great warrior to sacrifice, it was able to recreate itself. As far as I can tell, after our battle against Vigoro, the Moon Crystal located Vigoro and absorbed him. That is why Darknoth has the general build of Vigoro, including the horrible hair style. This is what we are fighting against now: a creature of darkness built from the combined powers of Ramiren, Ramirez, and Vigoro, all transformed by the Dark Moons power into a single, all-powerful being. It is now in the process of destroying the civilizations that posed a threat to it. Soltis has already been obliterated. It is only a matter of time before the rest of the world follows."

"Damn! There must be something we can do!" exclaimed Vyse.

"I was unable to finish the script, but I think I know. We must find the other moon crystals and use them to recreate Zelos. Then, as much as it pains me, we must unleash the Rains of Destruction upon the world again, only this time there will be no more Silvite warriors to once again take the form of Darknoth. Then we must destroy the moon crystals once and for all."

"But the Moon Crystals are all in Deeper Sky with Soltis. That means they were obliterated by that blast!"

"You are incorrect. After the final battle, the other five continents launched expeditions and regained their moon crystals. I believed they could do no more harm now that Zelos is gone. It seems we shall need them once more. We must now go in search of the Crystals again. Will you help me?"

"Of course, Fina! We can't let the world be destroyed! Let's leave tomorrow!"

"Vyse, you are in no condition to go anywhere. This is one time you will have to sit out. Gilder, I must ask you again, will you help us?"

"Don't worry! I'll take care of it! But I think this is one situation that needs more than the Claudia's power. We will need to make a stop at Valua and pick up Enrique. Without his help, and the Delphinus, we won't stand a chance. After that, I propose heading for Yafutoma. They seem to represent the biggest threat after Valua, which has already been destroyed, and Soltis, which is gone. Do you agree with my plan?"

"Sounds good, Gilder. Let's rest up, and get going in the morning!"

"Aye-aye!"


	5. Chapter 5: Art Contests and Maga Spheres

Chapter 5: What Would You Do For A Maga Sphere?

It was just after dawn as the ship pulled away from Valua. It was prepared to embark on a special mission involving the safety of the world. None of the Valuan crew members who had been mysteriously decommissioned had been given a reason why to avoid panic. If the people had known of the true danger, there was no telling what might have happened.

The sound of boots on metal filled the halls as one lone figure walked from the bridge to the dining hall. He opened the mahogany door and entered, taking in the saffron glow of the Yellow Moon Crystal. At the moment it was resting upon a dais in the center of the room, but at a moments notice it could be loaded into the MoonStone Cannon to power up the blast with the strength of Yeligar, The Yellow Gigas. This modification had taken Brabham over three months to complete, but now it was fully operational and increased the cannon's power tenfold.

Enrique sighed, then turned to return to the bridge of The Delphinus. It had only been several weeks since he had made an expedition to Soltis to recover the five remaining moon crystals for The Delphinus. They were to have been kept under tight security, but four had been stolen away and taken back to their respective continents. He had been forced to make the decision to allow the other nations to keep their gigas, but with the help of Moegi, his wife, he was able to ensure that the crystals would be securely guarded and never used again. He had never imagined that he would now be forced to break his promise and again quest for these crystals to save the world. More than anything else, though, he was dejected that he had been forced to leave Moegi back at the palace. She was six months pregnant with their child, and they did not want to risk the life of both the mother and the baby. Enrique could only comfort himself with the knowledge that he had made the right decision.

The ship had entered Upper sky and was flying in the direction of Yafutoma, their next destination. After passing above The Dark Rift, they descended back to Middle Sky, just in time to be out of view of the disaster occurring behind them.

Above the Maw of Tartas, a dark shape took form. It looked vaguely like a famous former Valuan Admiral. The legend of Vigoro, the Promiscuous Black Pirate had circled the globe several times. This figure, though, was huge in comparison. A low pitched rumble came from just below the shape, and rings of the blackest light spun around each other in gyroscopic movements creating a huge sphere of negative energy. Darknoth stabbed the sphere with its sword-appendage, and channeled the energy straight down at the ground where Yeligar had once slept for centuries. The blast expanded exponentially in all directions, obliterating mountains, ground, ships, and tunnels alike. The blast extended across the valley, completely reforming the continent. Countless lives of were ended in that single blast, though it never actually reached the capitol of Valua. The blast finally faded away and the meager light created by the thunderclouds returned. From above, the continent seemed as if a giant had taken an enormous bite out of it. When the dust cleared, a full third of the continent had disintegrated, and the population of Valua took another sharp dive, its second in scarcely a year.

The crew aboard The Delphinus knew nothing of this, though. As far as they could tell, they were on an enjoyable voyage to Yafutoma aboard a luxury battle ship, and it would be a very fun experience. Enrique was looking forward to seeing Prince Daigo again, and giving him the good news about Moegi, while Aika and Fina shared explicit stories of what they would like to do if they had a chance to be with Jao and Mao, alone. Gilder dreamed of several incredibly beautiful Yafutoman women he had promised to return to someday after spending a very enjoyable evening with them. Everyone was prepared to have a great time, and were excited when they finally landed at Yafutoma.

Gilder lead them up to Daigo's castle, and were just about to announce themselves to The guards when the doors burst open and several people fell out in a giant melee, all bludgeoning each other with bare fists.

"What The -- come on, Fina, don't you have a spell of something to stop this!"

"No, sorry Gilder. I just used up my last Magic Point finishing off that group of Eloopers with Eternes. And Aika ran out after she cast Sacrulen to save your life. None of us can do anything."

"Okay then. Break it up, you bags of !" shouted Gilder as he forcibly separated the four combatants. When they were all separated, it was possible to see who they were. Daigo, Muraji, Jao, and Mao were all straining to get back at each other.

"All right, let's get this straight. Daigo, what is going on?"

"The Maga Sphere is mine by right! It is the symbol of succession among Yafutoman kings. It is mine!"

"Liar! The sphere is mine! I was promised to become king before Vyse came and ruined everything! It is mine!"

"You both tell untruths! I purchased the sphere from Zivilyn Bane-san and it is mine."

"No brother, The sphere is mine! I gave you the money to purchase the sphere. I will accept it as your repayment toward me. Now give it to me!"

"All of you, simmer down! I need the sphere to save the world! So you guys should just give it to me, I can go save the world, then you can fight over it when I bring it back. How's that sound?"

"NEVER!" shouted all four of them.

"Hmm. All right. I know how we can decide fairly who should get the sphere. Are all of you artists of similar ability?"

"Yes, we are."

"Okay, then. Here's the deal. You will each make a painting of the topic of my choice. I will judge. The winner gets the sphere, but they have to loan it to me to use to save the world. Agreed?"

"This seems fair. My art is the greatest in the world! I will win easily!"

"Don't count on it, Muraji, mine is just as good as yours, if not better, and I will not let myself be bested by a cowardly runt like you!"

"Are you ready to lose, brother?"

"I should be asking you that, not the other way around!"

"Okay, here is the topic: You must paint the most beautiful woman in the world in such a way that she looks incredibly appealing. The one that I find the most beautiful will win, and I will keep all four paintings for my cabin aboard the Claudia. Are you ready? Paint!"

The four Yafutomans painted as best they could, Mao even using his feet instead of his hands to play towards his strengths. After several hours, Gilder called an end to the competition and began the judging.

"The woman I painted is famous for being incredibly wealthy in Nasr."

"What is her name?" asked Gilder as he approached the painting.

"Her name is Osman! I painted her in a bikini to show off her intriguing corpulence!"

"Holy , you are messed up, Muraji! WHAT THE F is wrong with you! Ahh, my eyes, this picture is so, so wrong it hurts! Enrique, please burn this thing now!"

"With great pleasure!" said a blushing Enrique as he tossed it in the air and launched a Pyri spell after it. The cinders landed in the pond and quickly dissolved. Fina and Aika were laughing hysterically in the background as Gilder sentenced Muraji to a life sentence cleaning Tenkou island.

"Okay, next is Jao. Before I come over there, you did not paint Osman, did you?"

"Of course not. You asked for the most beautiful woman. Here she is, Polly the Cook!"

Gilder walked over, took one look at the painting, and immediately flushed slightly. Polly was leaning on a chair, without a shirt on, and looking very provocative.

"Very, uh, well done Jao. However, the woman is not very attractive, though I like the pose. Next is Mao."

"I painted the most beautiful woman on this world: The Kabal Skewer Lady in Maramba! This is her as I last saw her."

"Mao, you probably painted the second ugliest female in the world! What is wrong with you people?"

"You haven't seen mine yet, Gilder." said Daigo. "I think you'll like it."

"We'll see" mumbled Gilder as he approached the final painting.

"I painted a woman I remember from here until she moved away. Her name is Kirala. I remember what kind of stuff you got into last time you were here, so I painted her without clothes. I take it by your wide-eyed, slack-jawed expression you like it."

Gilder, indeed wide-eyed and slack-jawed, just stood there staring at the beautiful painting for several minutes. Finally, Aika grew beet red and dragged him away, dropping him to the ground. Gilder barely managed to say "Daigo wins." before he fell into a sleep-like reverie.

He awoke a half hour later to find Daigo with the Maga Sphere in his hands.

"I believe you will need this, Gilder. Please bring it back next time, though, okay?"

"Certainly. And thank you for the painting of Kirala. I'll put it right on the wall of my quarters so I can see it whenever I want to!"

With the Blue Moon Crystal joining the Yellow one on the dais, the Delphinus prepared to leave. Just as it departed, a Dark Figure appeared just above Mount Kazai . . .


	6. Chapter 6: Ice Scream

Chapter 6: Ice Scream

Vyse lounged outside the Yafutoman quarters on Crescent Isle. His broken leg was still healing, and he was forced to wear a cast. His friends Aika, Fina, Gilder, and Enrique were all away saving the world, and Vyse was lonely. Clara had dropped by, bringing freshly baked pies and trying to cheer up Vyse. At the moment, Vyse was watching Belle and her friends play in the pond. He had never felt so bored in his life.

Therefore he was understandably surprised when a huge silver and purple ship soared overhead, racing southwest as fast as it could, with huge boulders, smaller rocks, random pieces of Mt. Kazai, and even a piece of the Flying Flail tailing closely. As quickly as it had arrived, the Delphinus disappeared into the distance, while a rain of pebbles and gravel fell on crescent Isle.

"Damn! I wish that was me up there." swore Vyse as he hobbled toward his quarters to escape the shower of rocks.

The Delphinus continued to fly, thundering south toward Glacia.

"Okay, I can understand why you gave permission to the countries to claim the moon crystals after you recovered them. I mean, they are symbols of great power and history to the people of continents. I just don't get why you had to take the purple one back to Glacia! No one lives there! Who would want it? What the #$ were you thinking?" exclaimed Gilder as he watched Don pilot the Delphinus. He was mildly alarmed at the slightly drunken stupor the man appeared to be in, but the ship continued in a reasonably straight line, so Gilder didn't complain.

"Well, it just seemed right at the time . . . all of the moon crystals should go to the continent they're from. Glacia is the home of the Purple crystal. No one else knows it's there, it just seemed like a good hiding place, and a potential failsafe should another war break out. Two gigas on Valua's side would be able to keep us safe. Not that I expect that to happen . . ."

"Enrique, you're stupid. It's easy to the close relation to your dearly departed twelfth cousin Alfonso."

Enrique blushed with suppressed rage, then turned and looked up at where the Valuan flag hung over the captain's chair. He gasped in surprise as he saw, covering the Valuan rose, a painting of Kirala, wearing nothing.

"I figured that as long as I'm in command of the ship, my favorite painting should adorn the official flag."

Fina blushed, and giggled lightly while Enrique and Aika tackled Gilder to the ground, preparing to pummel him.

"C-c-c hiccup! captain! We've r-r-reached Glaci hic! a. Prep-p-p oh screw it! We're landing! hic! hic!" spoke the drunken pilot.

The Delphinus headed down toward the icy wasteland of Glacia, and Don accidently speared the nose of the Delphinus into one of the buildings. Gilder and co. left the ship to explore. Suddenly, Aika started to turn blue . . .

"Aika! What's wrong?" asked Fina, when she suddenly realized Aika was not walking next to her anymore.

"I'm too cold, and I can't move!"

Enrique launched a pyri spell at her, which set her aflame and burned off her clothes.

"Whoops! Sorry!" he called out as Aika collapsed in shock.

Gilder laughed, walked over, picked her up and carried her back to the ship. He instructed the cook to make some soup, and had another member make sure she stayed warm and get her a change of clothes. Then the three warmer members of the party continued on, searching for the crystal.

"Okay, I left the crystal here, in this chamber . . . oh no!"

"What?" asked Gilder and Fina simultaneously.

"I have bad news and worse news. Which one do you want first?"

"um, bad news."

"Okay, the bad news is, Rhaknam had a baby, and the purple crystal attached itself to the child arcwhale. You can see the egg over there, and the dais where I put the crystal next to it."

"Aw, man! Now we're going to have to find an Arcwhale! That's nuts! What's the worse news?"

"There's a mysterious dark shape that looks a little like Vigoro in the air above us . . ."

"Aaaah! Run away! Back to the ship!"

The party dashed back up to the ship, even as Darknoth prepared its destructive powers. They had just made it to the Delphinus when the dark energy struck the top of the icy continent obliterating ice, rock, and ruins alike. Gilder knocked a sleeping Don out of the way and quickly launched the Delphinus into the relative safety of upper sky. When they had a chance to look back, Darknoth was nowhere to be seen, and most of the icy glacier covering Glacia had disappeared, making another bite-shaped cut-out of a continent. Fortunately, there were no casualties in this icy plain, and even the beautiful girl in the icy prison atop the highest mountain remained safe. The Delphinus headed north-east to their next stop, Nasr.

Meanwhile, on Crescent isle, Vyse returned to lounging on the deck of The Yafutoman quarters. Belle and her friends had returned to the pond, and the three young children from Pirate's isle joined them. They were having a great time, until a strange, Vigoro shaped shadow blocked out the red moon from view . . .


	7. Chapter 7: Preparation Apollo?

Chapter 7: Preparation. Apollo?

He had seen a lot over the years. His earliest memories were of the green forests in Ixa-Taka. He remembered losing an eye to an angry bird. He remembered being cared for by Gilder until he regained his strength. He remembered the first eyepatch Gilder gave him.

He joined The crew of The Claudia, where he saw even more. He saw hundreds of successful battles. He saw dozens of encounters with Clara, all ending with Gilder's swift evacuation. He saw scores of late-night escapades with various women and bar maids. He also saw plenty of fish.

He remembered Vyse's rescue, the razing of Nasr, and Fina's rescue from the Great Fortress. He participated in the discovery of Daccat's treasure, the trip to The Great Silver Shrine, and the destruction of Crescent Isle. And he experienced the Rains of Destruction on Valua, the defeat of Galcian, and the demise of Ramirez/Zelos.

He had seen acts of great kindness and great cruelty, of creation and destruction, of friendliness and horniness. Everything he had so far seen, however, did not prepare him for his current view.

High above the clouds he flew, looking down upon the forever changed continents and seas below. Nothing looked as it once did. Nothing remained of any of the mid-ocean islands, except for Sailor's Island. In the desert lands of Nasr, the entire continent supporting the Temple of Pyrynn was completely destroyed. North-east in Yafutoma, Mt. Kazai had been utterly obliterated. To the west in Valua, 1/3 of the continent had disappeared, leaving a huge, gaping maw. Further west, in Ixa-Taka, Moon Stone mountain had been vaporized, completely destroying the only source of wealth for the Hortekans. And to the south, where once there was nothing but ice and an underground city, only a large hole remained. The landscape had been so deformed he could only weep at the sight.

With a mournful flap of his wings, Willy returned to Gilder aboard the Delphinus, now fully powered with all five moon crystals. With a soft landing on Gilder's shoulder, he said two words: "all clear!"

"Thanks, Willy. Okay, Fina, what do we do next? We have all the moon crystals, but I don't see how we are going to be able to stop Darknoth, even with our new, souped up MoonStone Cannon. Sure, there isn't a ship in the sky that can take us out, but that's not going to help against Darknoth. And I don't think that the combined might of the five gigas will be able to stop that one. I just don't see how we can win against it."

"Our only chance is to revive Zelos. I think I can do it, but first we need a silver moon crystal."

"Wait, hold on. Fina, you're the only one with a silver moon crystal! And to take it, we would have to kill you! We can't do that."

"You don't have to. I learned from the hidden text on Shrine Island that there was one moon crystal left in reserve. The elders weren't sure if they would ever need Zelos in the future. So they left one crystal on the Silver moon. We have to go to the moon and find that crystal."

"WHAT! Go to the moon! That's crazy!" exclaimed Aika.

"No, I think we can modify the Delphinus to take us up to the moons. However, I will need the help of Brabham and Hans. And Centime."

"Well, at the moment they are in Valua. So let's head there."

The Delphinus turned toward the home of the empire and began the last leg of the journey. Four battles against various Loopers later, they arrived at Valua City. They docked and found the three engineers. Fina spent several hours in conference with the three men, while the others wandered through the city. Aika went to the clothes shops and purchased several things for her wardrobe: a new pair of shorts, a dress for formal occasions, a new nightgown, and a new swimsuit to show off to Vyse. Enrique returned to Moegi to check on her and settle any problems that had occurred in his absence. Gilder, of course, made a beeline for the grittiest strip club in the city to spend a few pleasant hours.

When Fina reemerged and contacted everyone, she laid out the new prints for the renovation.

"Okay, we'll need everyone's help for this. We've recruited Izmael and Kirala to help with the building, and Urala will take care of our meals. Now let's get building!"

_One week later_

"It's finally complete. The Delphinus is ready to go higher than anyone has gone before (in the last thousand years). Is everyone ready?"

"Hold on, we should pick up Vyse. He'll never forgive us if we go to the moon without letting him come with us."

"Alright. First stop, Crescent Isle. By the way, we've added a new engine . . ."

"What's your poi--aaaah!"

The engine roared to life and sped them away at five times the speed of sound, shortening the trip from Valua to Crescent Isle from five days to four hours. Vyse came aboard, and everyone greeted him with much hugging, kissing, and crying out. Someone slapped him on the butt, and even to this day he doesn't know for sure who it was. Unfortunately, his leg was still broken so he couldn't take over as captain nor could he fight. After they settled him into the captain's chair in the bridge, they sped off into the sky, aiming straight for the silver moon.

In the blackness behind them, a dark shape followed. How could they have seen a creature made of pure black energy in a black background?


	8. Chapter 8: Perverted Old Man

Chapter 8: Perverted Old Man

The old man sat in the barren wasteland. The sky was black and filled with stars, and right here, watching the beautiful view, he could almost escape his present reality. Almost forget that he had lived in this desert for 10,000 years. Almost forget that his entire Civilization had been destroyed. Almost, but not quite.

Off in the distance he spied a bright light slowly fall down to the surface. With a loud yawn and a deafening creak in his bones, he stood up. It had been a long time since he'd had visitors.

Gilder and company landed on the Silver moon staring in awe at the landscape. Nothing grew, nothing broke the uniform color. The only thing changing the panorama was the full Arcadia above, and the Yellow, Green, and Red moons to the East, West, and North.

The five friends stood outside in the cold, dry air. Technically, four stood, while Vyse lounged in a Cupil-hammock.

"Okay Fina. Where is this crystal?"

"First we must find the Elder. There must be some way to contact him."

"Why don't we try to signal him with magic?" suggested Aika.

"All right. Moons, give me strength!" Enrique launched a pyrum spell up at the sky. Before it had left his hands, though, it transformed into an Eternum spell that rocketed straight to Arcadia and impaled a Marocca. The Hamachou hermit instantly became aware of this and added a tally mark. "34,456." he grumbled.

"That was strange. I was sure I cast a fire spell. Maybe yellow will work better. Moons, give me strength!" Enrique launched an electres spell into The air, which immediately became an eternes spell and killed 36 Throkkyns and 2 Loopers. "34, 494." mumbled The Hamachou hermit.

"I see, The silver moon only allows its own magic here. Everything we cast will be transformed into silver. This means we're limited to death and revival spells."

"What about curia?"

"That's unimportant if we can't be exhausted, poisoned, silenced, weakened, or turned to stone."

"Oh yeah."

"Heh-heh. I guess you've met my land's magic mastery!"

The friends whirled around to see an old man, chuckling to himself.

He had thin arms and legs, a white beard and a bald head. He wore large purple sunglasses, a loud orange Hawaiian shirt, lime green shorts, and wood sandals. Strapped to his back was a giant green turtle shell.

'Who are you?"

"heh. I'm Elder Roshi, of The Silver Civilization."

"I'm Captain Gilder of the Claudia, and this is Captain Vyse of the Albatross, Fina, Last of The Silvites, Emperor Enrique of Valua, and . . . Aika of the missing title."

"I'm very pleased to meet you. I haven't spoken to anyone else in 10,000 years."

Fina interrupted here because The man was about to give a detailed description of all 3,650,000 days he had been on the moon.

"Elder, we are here for the Silver Moon Crystal. The black gigas Darknoth is destroying Arcadia, and only Zelos can stop it. Since we are the last two Silvites, and we don't really want to die, we need to use the spare moon crystal."

"You guys are nice. I haven't had any visitors in such a long time. But I need to earn my pay. Three gold a day is pretty nice after 10,000 years. I cannot let you have it."

"Please, we'll give you anything in our power to give."

The man gave a wide, toothy grin that was completely devoid of innocence. There was a certain emotion on his face, but no one could place it.

"There's one thing. I'll give you the crystal as long as you agree to my terms."

"Of course," called out Vyse. "What's your price?"

"These two attractive young women have to agree first."

"um . . . Okay." "Fine."

"Alright. You two have to remove your clothing for the next two hours. Also, you cannot leave for the next two hours. That's the deal, I'll take nothing less."

Both girls turned bright red. Fina covered her face with her hands and her eyes went wide. Aika became incredibly irate . . .

"WHAT? You perverted old man! How dare you?"

"I get a little lonely out here. Besides, you don't have a choice."

He snapped his fingers and a huge eternum spell destroyed the Delphinus completely.

"I have complete control over magic on this moon. I can create and destroy at will. Except for women. They never come out right . . . but as you can see, you won't be leaving here without my cooperation."

He snapped his fingers again, and the Delphinus reappeared, perfectly shipshape.

"We need some time to talk about it . . ."

"By all means."

The four mobile members circled around Vyse, who spoke first.

"Well, we're not going to be able to leave. I hate to say this, but . . ."

"NO! We can't let this horny old man do this!"

"Aika . . . we have to."

"Fina! What are you talking about?"

"We need this moon crystal. Our modesty is a small price to pay to save the world."

"Sigh . . . fine. But if lays one finger on me, I go Omega Psyclone on his ass, got it?"

"I'm glad you two agree to do this. I have an idea . . ." whispered Gilder.

Several minutes later, Enrique returned from the ship with two trunks from Gilder's quarters. Roshi destroyed the ship again, and Gilder went over with Aika and Fina to tell them what to do with the strange materials in his trunks . . .

Fina and Aika soon reappeared from behind the crater where they were getting ready. They came out to Roshi's position and started to dance. Cupil transformed into a Cupil-Music-Player and accompanied the two. However, the dance started to remove itself from the standards . . .

The first things to come off were the shoes. Several bars later they removed their skirts. Roshi was turning redder and redder, and his head was sticking forward as far as it would go. When the two started to remove their inner layers, however, he went berserk, calling out and howling. When they were down to their underclothes, the man lapsed into a coma in shock.

Gilder, laughing, came over to the girls and gave them a big hug.

"Good job you two. And see, you didn't even have to get naked."

"Yeah, mind getting off us so we can get dressed?"

"Oh yeah. Hmm . . . alright fine."

The two girls grabbed their clothes and returned to the crater to redress.

"Gilder, how did you know your plan would work?"

"Well, I've been to a lot of strip clubs. Every time an old man comes in, he always becomes unconscious before the girls get naked. I figured that as long as the girls took off their clothes slowly, they would overwhelm him. Plus, the underwear is a special model that is 90 more likely to create desire. I save it for when I have 'guests.' Now all we have to do is wait two hours, wake up Roshi, and convince him that the girls were naked the whole time."

"Gilder, you're a genius!"

"Yeah, I know." he said with a big smile.

Two hours later, the man woke up.

"Okay, Roshi. It's been two hours. The girls were quite beautiful naked, weren't they?"

"What? Oh yeah, yeah they were. Especially the brunette."

"Uh . . . right. She's not here right now. You mind giving us back our ship, and the crystal now?"

"Yeah, a deal's a deal. Thanks for stopping by!" He gave them the Crystal and restored the ship. The friends returned to the ship and took off, leaving the horny man and his strange moon far behind.


	9. Chapter The Last

Chapter The Last

Gilder looked around him. At his sides stood Enrique, Vyse, and Aika. Behind him, Fina was concentrating on the six moon crystals hovering around her. Encircling the five friends was the battered landscape of Ixa-Taka. What was once Ixa-Taka, Gilder corrected himself. After the climactic battle between the Delphinus and Darknoth, there was very little still standing. Off in the distance lay the wreckage of the massive airship. There was no question as to who lost that duel. Yet the loss was not in vain. Darknoth had been weakened, causing it to revert to its Vigoro-sized form. Still, he wielded enormous power, and despite any weakening, he was a gigas. Only one thing could stop it now, and Fina held that key in her hands.

"Fina, how much time do you need?"

"Uh . . . I think I need an hour to do this properly."

Vyse fell down in an anime-like style. The instantaneous flip with feet stuck straight up . . . you know what I mean.

"An hour! I think you only have five minutes, if that. Try to make the most of it!"

"Okay."

Ten feet away stood Darknoth. Despite being a creature of pure chaos, it looked like it was still infatuated with Aika. It was staring at her and a faint blush could be seen on its cheeks. It shook it's head and pointed his sword at the heroes. A giant ball of blackness congealed at the tip of blade.

"Pirate's of Old, Defend our Cause!" shouted Vyse just as the blast tore off towards them. A skeletal pirate holding a scimitar materialized in front of the blast and completely deflected it, destroying the King's hideout in the process. Then it dashed forward, slashing Darknoth. The sword connected, strained, and shattered!

Darknoth silently laughed and slashed his sword toward Vyse, Gilder and Enrique. A blast of darkness shot towards them.

"Righteousness be my shield, shield of justice!" called out Enrique, creating a shield of light before the blast. The shield bent under the strain of the attack, finally shattering. But The blast was absorbed, leaving the three heroes unharmed. Looking around, they saw Darknoth embracing Aika, and struggling to kiss her.

"Get off me! You stupid weapon! What are you doing!"

If the situation hadn't been so dire, the three would have cracked up laughing.

"wow, Aika. Enjoying yourself?"

"When we get out of this, I'm going to KILL you Gilder! AAAAGGGGHHH! Moons, give me strength!"

A yellow glow surrounded her as the Electrum spell blasted out from in front of her. It knocked Darknoth back several feet, enough for Aika to get back to her friends.

"Fina, are you ready yet?"

"Almost. Another hour . . . I mean minute."

"Okay. Pirate's Wrath!" Vyse flew straight at Darknoth, delivering two massive slashes, with should have decapitated Darknoth. Yet there was a different result instead . . .

"No! My cutlasses! They broke! Damn!"

"Heh, not enough power in those little knives, my friends. You need something stronger . . . "

Gilder looked at his wrist, lifted a finger to test the wind, then took five steps forward. Darknoth watched curiously. Gilder stood there for fifteen seconds, then suddenly said:

"Darknoth! You mess with me, you mess with Claudia!"

Gilder jumped straight up, high enough to land at the helm of an airship. And normally he would have. But he miscalculated, instead jumping right into the path of the Claudia and getting flattened against the hull. The Claudia opened fire, unleashing a wave of destruction right over where Darknoth was standing, flooding the area with explosions.

Meanwhile, Gilder slid off the hull and rapidly approached the ground. Fortunately, his fall was broken. Unfortunately, it was broken by Enrique. Or maybe that really is fortunate, Thought Vyse.

"Okay guys! Let's try one more thing to give Fina time! Ready? In dire need . . ."

Vyse jabbed the air with his empty fist, as his cutlasses were gone. Aika pointed her boomerang upward.

"We call for . . ."

Gilder stuck his gun in

"The Power . . ."

Enrique added his sword

"Of The Ancients!"

"To battle our foe!" finished Vyse as they four blasted off into the sky. Heading toward the silver moon, they commandeered it and piloted it straight at the ground. It smashed right into Darknoth, dealing some damage, though not visibly harming it.

"Okay guys, I'm ready!"

"About time! Okay, Fina, do it!"

"Moons, In our time of need, grant us the strength to defeat our foe and save the world. Moons, revive the gigas Zelos!"

From the sky descended a massive pillar of light which encircled the five companions. Suddenly, the silver crystal flashed brilliantly and grew, forming the solid sphere the companions recognized as Zelos. A light flashed out of the ball, gazed over the five friends, and left a visible effect. Three effects, in fact. First, all five companions' skin instantly turned silver. Second, the weapons they were carrying transformed into weapons formed of Zelos' power incarnate. And finally, everyone's clothes disintegrated. All five, suddenly naked, could only stare, and try to cover themselves as best as they could.

"Fina, what just happened?" asked Vyse.

"Yeah! And where are my clothes!" said Aika, blushing furiously.

"Uh . . . well, I revived Zelos and everything, and for some reason, that turned our skin silver. It is probably temporary. Same with the weapons. I'm not sure why we lost our clothes, though.

"It should be obvious. Zelos has power over metal and organic life. But not over organic materials that have been processed. So it destroyed it rather than risk being defeated again. So now we're naked." explained Enrique.

Gilder moved his hands while looking down.

"Hey! What happened? It . . . disappeared. Nooo!

Everyone, confused, looked down and saw that it was true. The parts they had been modestly covering had disappeared, covered by the new silver skin.

"Well, that makes this a little better. I still don't feel like I'm wearing anything, though."

"It doesn't matter! Fina, what do we need to do to finish off this thing?"

"One of us has to combine with Zelos, the way Ramirez did."

"WHAT?"

"Yes. I should do it." she wiped a tear from her eye. "I know that you always loved Aika more. I'll leave her to you." She walked forward, but Vyse caught her arm.

"Fina, that's not true. I love you . . ."

Aika, watching, suddenly sniffed, and trudged toward Zelos.

"Fine, then. I'll go to Zelos."

"NO! Aika, wait, come back. I love you too!"

"Vyse, you can't love us both equally! Not forever. You have to make a choice."

"No. I can't do this. ARRRGGG!"

Then Vyse ran forward to Zelos.

"Zelos, let me add my strength, that we might defeat this evil being!"

Zelos glowed silver, then encircled Vyse.

"NOOOO!" screamed Fina and Aika together.

A brilliant light enveloped Vyse/Zelos, and when it cleared, an altered Vyse was standing there. Namely, a normal skin colored Vyse with a silver g-string.

"What the --" said everyone except Vyse.

"This is strange, but I accept my fate." A giant silver sword appeared in Vyse's right hand.

"Darknoth, you're mine!"

Meanwhile, the four other friends conspired.

"Let's give him a magical advantage!"

"Sounds good. On three, then, 1 . . . 2 . . . 3!"

"MOONS, GIVE US STRENGTH!" shouted the sidekicks. Around Fina shone a blue glow, while around Gilder shone a red glow. Enrique had a purple glow, and Aika had yellow.

"Quika!"

"Increm!"

"Panika!"

"Driln!"

The magical effects acted immediately, speeding up and strengthening Vyse/Zelos while weakening and confusing Darknoth.

"SILVERSWORD FURY!" shouted Vyse/Zelos as he sliced and diced Darknoth into tiny pieces. After five minutes of slashing, there was nothing left. Not even the tiniest fragment of a moon crystal.

Vyse slumped to the ground. "Finally, it is finished." He removed the g-string, forgetting that he wasn't wearing anything, then fell to the ground, asleep.

Fina said, "Zelos, return to your slumber." Then gathered the six crystals. Gilder moved Vyse onto the Claudia, and everyone left for Crescent Isle the way they had after their last epic battle.

I hope you've enjoyed my tale! This was my first fanfic ever, and it was really fun to write. Thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed, and next week I'll post my second fic, Valuan Skies. Until then!


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